Crapshoot: The Gamble with Our Wastes

A hazardous mix of waste is flushed into the sewer every day. The billions of litres of water - combined with unknown quantities of chemicals, solvents, heavy metals, human waste and food - where does it all go? And what does it do to us? Filmed in Italy, India, Sweden, the United States and Canada, this bold documentary questions our fundamental attitudes to waste. Does our need to dispose of waste take precedence over public safety? What are the alternatives?

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The film was clear in that a revolution in terms of how we live is required if we are to have any hope of long-term survival. The solution to so many of society's woes (including how to deal with our waste" is for us to take the road less traveled; to finally agree to place life ahead of profits. This means a revolution in every aspect of our current existence. We need to plan for a world absent cheap sources of carbon based energy. Its just that simple. No more internal combustion engines, no more rampant human breeding, no more industrial farming, no more global economy, no more street lights, no more synthetic chemicals, no more mining; in short, no more living in excess of the carrying capacity of the environment. The sooner we stop denying reality and finally admit to our failings the sooner we can get to work accomplishing the multitude of tasks necessary to usher in a new world based on sustainability and justice. We can't keep applying band-aids to our problems. Its not fair to the environment nor ourselves. Its time we wake up and deal with these things head on!

kaimikkelforlie, 1 Mar 2012

Our current, natural marine-based sewage treatment system in Victoria is quite satisfactory according to many scientists, engineers and public health officials. We do NOT need additional land-based sewage treatment that will create sewage sludge, as well as greenhouse gases. Obviously, the most important reason for choosing a sewage treatment system is the local receiving environment - and Victoria's marine environment has shown that it can handle our sewage effluent.
For more information:
aresst.ca
rstv.ca
victoriasewagetreatment.ca/ccost/
sites.google.com/site/sewageplantsvictoria/

JohnN, 17 Jul 2010

The film was very good at describing the problem, but solutions were weakly presented. Other than using a composting toilet, what are alternative means of dealing with our sludge? If we are to eliminate it, how, what are the consequences? It is easy to describe a problem, solutions are harder to come by.